


Melted

by Silverbullets



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Emotional Sex, Hatake Kakashi Has Issues, Hatake Kakashi Needs a Hug, Hokage Hatake Kakashi, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-Fourth Shinobi War, Protective Uchiha Obito
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:46:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28496292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silverbullets/pseuds/Silverbullets
Summary: Obito wants him to believe that he isn't a failure, but Kakashi feels he's failed far too many people to see himself as anything but.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Uchiha Obito
Comments: 17
Kudos: 161





	Melted

"Thank you for having us, Kazekage. I hope to hear from you soon,” the Fourth Raikage said as he stood to his feet. The atmosphere in the room was tense. They were all on edge – and for good reason. The man glanced over to Kakashi for a moment before he turned on his heels and left the meeting room without another word.

"Have a safe journey, Raikage." Gaara nodded his head, letting out a sigh when the door closed behind him.

“Why is that old man so stubborn?” Naruto was next to Gaara in a second, hand rubbing his temples in an exaggerated manner.

“Probably because he didn’t get to witness it with his own two eyes.” Kankuro approached the table with his hands in his pockets. “But yeah, he really should just let it go. It’s been, what, a year since the war ended?”

“Are you okay?” Kakashi looked up when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, meeting eyes with Obito who had joined them at the table. The Uchiha had volunteered to be one of his guards alongside Naruto when he had heard there would be another Five Kage Summit convened in Sunagakure.

“Just ignore what he said, Kakashi-sensei. He’ll come around eventually.”

Kakashi shifted uneasily as four pairs of eyes suddenly turned to stare at him. He felt uncomfortably like a bug under a microscope, about to be dissected by the people around him.

"What?" He coughed, already starting to sweat under their laser-focused attention.

"You’ve been very quiet since Raikage brought up the great war again," said Gaara. "You don’t have to worry, Rokudaime, he has no right to decide who deserves to be Tsunade-sama’s successor and what happens to Konoha’s shinobi."

"I'm fine," he blurted out, cringing internally at how forced and panicked he sounded. He took a deep breath, tried to calm himself down, and tried again. "Really, I'm okay."

Obito shook his head. "No, you're not," he said.

“It’s just—“ Kakashi cut off himself with a shaky exhale, “I think Raikage has a point.”

Obito frowned, looking at him with concern. "Is this what you think of yourself?"

Kakashi looked up and swallowed, trying to get rid of the sudden lump in his throat before answering, "Well, yeah."

Naruto shook his head, staring at him in shock. "Hang on, _what_?" he demanded.

There was a brief silence in which Kakashi cursed himself internally for the words that had slipped so unwittingly from his tongue. He shrunk back in his chair, curling in on himself and avoiding eye contact with the others. He definitely wasn’t proud of the looks of concern sent his way by everyone in the room. He was the bigger adult here, he was the Hokage, he wasn’t supposed to make these kids who were nearly half his age worry over him.

"Forget I said anything," he uttered, the sentence coming out more like a plea than a command.

"No, Kakashi," Obito said gently. "This is important. Do you really see yourself as a failure?"

Kakashi's eyes pricked at the tenderness of the Uchiha's voice. "No," he said slowly. "I'm- I’m the Hokage. I shouldn’t think that way about myself, right?" He forced out a laugh.

He closed his eyes, hating the feeling of the words on his tongue.

"I'm not asking about the Hokage.” Obito took the seat next to him and looked him in the eyes. "I'm asking about Hatake Kakashi."

Kakashi meant to say _I'm fine_ , he really did. The words were there, ready on the tip of his tongue, but what actually ended up coming out instead was a quiet: “I feel like I’ve failed everyone again.”

The stunned silence that followed made Kakashi want to curl up into a ball and hide away. He’d always been good at hiding his feelings, what had happened to that?

Kakashi clenched his fists as a feeling of insecurity swept over him.

"What? That’s bullshit," Naruto nearly shouted, his blue eyes bright with a mixture of shock and anger. “I’m going to make that old man pay for making you feel this way.”

“ _Again,_ Kakashi?” It was Obito who spoke this time.

Kakashi shrivelled under the scrutiny, twisting his fingers together nervously as he tried to organize his thoughts into something coherent. He did not want to worry everyone again. Anxiety roiled in his gut as he grappled with his feelings.

Kakashi was suddenly yanked out of his seat by a tight grip on his arm. He opened his eyes in shock, stumbling a little as Obito hauled him out of the room and began marching him down the corridor.

"Obito, wait—“ Kakashi attempted to twist out of Obito's grip and head back to the meeting table but Obito cut him off with an angry shake of his head, dragging him along until they were outside the room Suna had prepared for their stay.

"Those kids can wait," Obito said shortly, kicking open the door and shoving Kakashi inside the bedroom.

Kakashi almost fell over the threshold, catching himself just in time so that he did not face-plant on the carpet. He turned to face Obito, his guts twisting and his heart hammering when he saw the furious expression on Obito's face. Kakashi cringed away, feeling rotten for having made the older male so upset.

He licked his lips nervously, noting every single microexpression and shift in stance in Obito. He looked angry and upset – devastated, almost. Kakashi fought against a wave of nausea that washed over him at the realization that he was the cause of that.

"What's wrong?" Kakashi asked tentatively.

That was, apparently, the wrong thing to say.

Obito let out a furious snarl and slammed his fist into the nearest wall.

"What's wrong?" he shouted. "What's _wrong_? Kakashi, do you really think that you're a failure?"

The anger seemed to leave him all at once, leaving him sad and deflated as he stared at Kakashi with a regretful expression.

Kakashi stood there, his throat tight as he struggled for words. Finally, unable to say the words out loud, he nodded, a tear slipping down his cheek when he saw Obito visibly crumble at his response.

"Kakashi." Obito sighed, his voice sad and quiet. "You couldn't be more wrong."

Kakashi opened his mouth, a thousand reasons for why he was most certainly _correct_ on the tip of his tongue, when Obito stepped forwards and planted his lips on Kakashi's. It silenced him, and Kakashi found himself melting into Obito's embrace when the Uchiha wrapped his arms around him tightly.

The touch was protective rather than sexual, so it came as something of a surprise when Kakashi felt Obito lean back and begin tugging at his robe and unbuttoning the shirt he was wearing underneath. They were still joined at the lips, still kissing softly, and Kakashi stood still and pliant as Obito peeled his clothes off his shoulders.

Obito finally broke off the kiss, placing Kakashi's robe and shirt carefully on the bed before taking Kakashi's hand and leading him over to the large window that overlooked the village. He positioned Kakashi so that he stood looking out over the village, before standing behind him, winding his arms around Kakashi's waist to keep them pressed closely together.

"You're not a failure," Obito murmured. "You're the furthest thing from a failure."

Kakashi felt his throat burning as he tried not to cry, because Obito sounded so _sincere_ and it was not fair. It was not fair that he was not the good, worthy man that Obito seemed to think he was.

"You're wrong," he croaked, hating how wrecked and weak his voice sounded.

Obito exhaled hard against his neck, his arms tightening around his waist momentarily before leaving. Kakashi briefly panicked from the lack of physical contact, but within seconds Obito's hands were back, looping around and slipping in front of him to undo the buttons of his pants.

Kakashi moaned softly as Obito quickly undid his pants, slipping them down his legs along with his boxers. Obito knelt down behind him, his presence warm and solid and grounding. He nudged at Kakashi's feet, urging him to lift them. Kakashi obeyed, raising his feet one by one so that Obito could take off his sandals and remove his pants and boxers so that, within a couple of minutes, Kakashi was standing completely nude in front of the large window.

He shivered, suddenly realizing how exposed he was in this position. The whole of Suna stretched out in front of him. Even though he knew that he was too high up for anyone on street-level or any of the adjacent buildings to see him properly, he still felt vulnerable and on-display.

He blushed shyly, moving his hands to cover his crotch.

Obito gently batted his hands away, taking his wrists and pinning them behind his back as he placed soft kisses along his shoulders.

"Don't hide yourself," Obito murmured. "You're beautiful."

Kakashi shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut when he felt Obito's disappointed exhale.

"Stay there," said Obito. "I won't be long."

Kakashi felt Obito move away, keeping his head bowed and his eyes closed as he listened to the older male cross over to their bedside table and rummage around in its contents. A moment later, there was a rustling noise, as if Obito were stripping off his clothes. Soft footsteps padded back over the carpet, a gentle touch to the small of his back alerting him to the fact that Obito had returned.

Arms wrapped around his waist, hugging him close as Obito pressed up against him. He could feel the warm weight of Obito's bare cock against his ass, heat spreading between the two of them as they pressed together.

"I wish everyone in the village could see you like this," Obito said in his ear. "You're so beautiful."

Kakashi shook his head miserably, turning his face away in a vain attempt to hide. Obito's hands came up to massage his shoulders and he leaned back against Obito, his muscles losing some of their tension as the Uchiha massaged them slowly and patiently.

"Why didn't you tell me Raikage’s words had been bothering you, Bakakashi?" asked Obito, although there was no venom in the insult.

Kakashi deflated, finally opening his eyes and looking at Obito's reflection in the window in front of them.

"Because I'm stupid?" he offered flatly.

Obito's mouth pressed into a hard line as he shook his head. Kakashi could see him consciously swallowing down some sharp retort and he hated it; hated that Obito thought that Kakashi was so weak that he had to censor his own words.

"You said so, too," whispered Kakashi, his eyes stinging.

Obito closed his eyes, his hold on Kakashi’s waist tightening ever so slightly. “Never,” he said. "I've never thought you were a failure, Kakashi. I’m sorry I said all those things to you during the war, but I promise you I didn’t mean any of them. I only said them because I didn’t want you to get in the way."

Kakashi let out a shaky exhale as he blinked, a couple of stray tears dislodging themselves from his eyelashes and rolling down his cheeks. “But you weren’t wrong. I failed to protect her. I failed you.”

“No, it was a dick move,” Obito answered immediately. “I knew her death had never stopped haunting you, and yet I used that against you. I’m sorry I made you feel that way, but I really didn’t mean any of it, Kakashi. You should know that by now.”

“Let’s not talk about it,” Kakashi mumbled, voice barely above a whisper.

Obito sighed behind him, bringing his hands to stroke down Kakashi's sides as he placed a kiss on the back of his neck. "Tell me what you need.”

Kakashi let his head fall back onto Obito's shoulder, letting the Uchiha take his weight as he leaned backwards. He felt safe like this, like Obito could carry the weight of his troubles, at least just momentarily, until Kakashi felt ready to take back the burden.

"I need you," said Kakashi, not realizing it was true until the words slipped quietly and automatically from his mouth.

He heard Obito laugh softly, his hand petting Kakashi's hair lightly as he replied, "Okay".

Kakashi heard the sound of the cap being popped off a bottle of lube, and vaguely realized that that must have been what Obito had retrieved from the bedside table, before one hand trailed gently down his back, stroking the skin there so carefully that it almost felt like worship.

A small whimper escaped his lips when a slick finger began swirling around his hole. It was not pressing in, not seeking entrance, seemingly content just to circle lazily. Kakashi bit his lip, trying to stop the needy sounds from escaping his throat as he tried to press back against Obito's finger, wordlessly begging for more.

Obito sucked the side of his neck, chuckling softly as he finally caved to Kakashi's demand, slipping one well-lubed finger inside him. Kakashi arched his back, pushing down onto the finger and taking it to the hilt.

It felt larger than usual, probably due to the fact that he was standing up and so his body was necessarily tauter than if he were sprawled out on the bed. Obito seemed to feel the increased tightness as well, humming appreciatively as he pumped his finger gently in and out.

"You're going to feel incredible around my cock," whispered Obito. "So tight."

Kakashi exhaled sharply as another finger pressed inside of him, wriggling when Obito pressed forwards, seeking his prostate. Within seconds, he found it, causing Kakashi's cock to jerk hard as his fingertips brushed over it. A bead of pre-cum dribbled from the tip, falling and hitting the floor at his feet.

A small moan left his lips as a third finger was added. He felt so full, his tight channel squeezing around Obito's fingers as they carefully slicked him up. His heartbeat was pounding in his ears, his throat dry as Obito deliberately passed over his prostate over and over again, setting off delicious sparks of pleasure with each pass.

Obito withdrew his fingers, causing Kakashi to whine at the sudden, empty feeling. Obito chuckled behind him, wrapping a strong arm around his waist as he pushed his upper-half slightly forwards. Kakashi submitted to the gentle pressure, leaning forwards as per Obito's silent command.

He was rewarded with the blunt pressure of Obito's cock head pressing steadily at his entrance. He could feel himself spreading open at the insistent pressure, his hole stretching wider and wider until, suddenly, Obito popped inside.

Kakashi whimpered at the sudden feeling of being filled, glad of Obito's arm around his waist, otherwise he suspected he might have pitched forwards from shock. Obito felt much bigger than usual – a result of the position they were in, with Kakashi having to support his own weight rather than fully relax. He let out a loud moan as the Uchiha pushed all the way in, the sensation bordering on the edge of pleasure and pain.

A gentle kiss to his shoulder soothed his mind, his head falling back as he tried to force himself to relax. He closed his eyes, allowing himself to revel in the sensation of Obito buried deep inside of him, filling him up completely.

"Open your eyes," said Obito, then, when Kakashi did not do so, "I won't move until you open your eyes."

Kakashi swallowed, opening his eyes obediently. Obito kissed the back of his neck, slowly beginning to thrust in and out, as promised. He moved over Kakashi's prostate, causing his legs to tremble as pleasure throbbed through him.

"Look at the village," said Obito quietly.

Kakashi took a deep breath, forcing himself to concentrate and observe the buildings made of clay outside their bedroom window. He could see hundreds of windows and countless people within view. While realistically none of them were able to see him, he still felt obscenely like an exhibitionist, getting fucked right in front of the window, in full view of everyone. His cock jerked with excitement.

"I wish everyone could see you like this," panted Obito, his thrusts getting harder and faster as he fucked into him. "You're so good for me, so beautiful."

Kakashi crooned at the praise, throwing his head back in ecstasy as Obito's cock made a particularly pleasurable pass over his prostate. By now, precome was oozing constantly from his tip, his body wound up and inching ever closer to orgasm.

"I'm so proud of you," Obito said, peppering kisses along his neck, shoulders and back. "I want to show you off to the world. Look out of the window. I want all of them to see how amazing you are."

Kakashi blushed at the words, biting his lower lip as he shook his head. Obito was wrong. He was not amazing, he’d failed far too many people. It made his skin itch and his stomach clench. Suddenly, the arousal left his body, leaving him cold and nauseous. He breathed deeply, willing himself not to cry.

"You're not a failure, Kakashi," Obito uttered, unaware of Kakashi's turmoil, reaching around to pump Kakashi's cock along with the tempo of his thrusts. "Say it: _I'm not a failure._ "

Kakashi let out a strangled sob, shaking his head hard. He could not say those words; they simply were not true. Obito had such an inflated opinion of him when Kakashi was the reason for all the sufferings and hardships he’d had to go through. It terrified Kakashi, to know that one day Obito would no doubt see the truth and drift away from him. He couldn’t help but dread the day that would happen. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing Obito a second time no matter how much he thought he didn’t deserve him.

"Kakashi, you're amazing," said Obito. "Please just say it: _I'm not a failure_."

He punctuated each word with a deep thrust, triggering little spasms of pleasure as Kakashi fought hard to keep from coming.

"I– I–"

Kakashi bowed his head. The words would not come. He felt as though someone was squeezing his throat shut, blocking his ability to speak. He did not want to say the words, because he did not believe them to be true, and yet Obito sounded so sincere, so heartfelt, that Kakashi felt compelled to do so.

"I'm not a–" He gritted his teeth, unable to push out the final word. He felt a tear roll down his cheek, panic rising in his chest as he struggled to speak. "Please, Obito, don't make me say it."

Obito pressed a kiss to his shoulder, unaware of the tears now rolling freely down Kakashi's cheeks. His hand on Kakashi's cock got faster, dragging him closer to the precipice of orgasm.

"Please say it," begged Obito. "For me?"

Kakashi hiccupped, a maelstrom of emotions churning inside him, ranging from guilt, to self-loathing, to humiliation, with an undercurrent of heady lust being teased out of him with every slap of Obito's hips against his ass.

He caught sight of Obito's face reflected in the window, all adoration and care as he nuzzled at Kakashi's neck – and he broke. Obito would not be trying to make him say those words unless he believed them to be true, and although Obito may be wrong, Kakashi no longer had the energy to fight him. He did not want to contradict him, not when Obito believed in him so wholeheartedly.

"I'm not a failure," he whispered.

Obito placed a gentle kiss to his ear, driving forwards very deliberately against his prostate at the exact moment as he twisted his hand wrapped around Kakashi's cock.

Kakashi's orgasm took him by surprise, ripping out of his body as he sprayed the window in front of him with thick streaks of white come. He shuddered in Obito's arms, his legs almost giving way underneath him as his cock throbbed and his ass contracted with pleasure. The latter catapulted Obito into his own orgasm, the other man letting out a loud moan as he spurted inside of Kakashi.

Kakashi sagged as the last throbs of his orgasm began to fade, overwhelmed by a feeling of relief that it was over more than any actual pleasure. He felt emotionally and physically exhausted, suddenly unable to stop the tears from running down his cheeks as he began to sob.

Obito pulled out of him with a wet pop, spinning him around in alarm, his face falling when he finally saw that Kakashi was crying.

"Kakashi," he said softly, pressing a chaste kiss to his forehead as he swept his thumbs across his cheeks, wiping away the tears. "Shit. Did I push you too hard? I'm sorry."

Kakashi trembled, unable to look at him as he cried harder. He was a liar; he had told Obito that he did not feel like a failure merely as a way to get him to stop insisting that it was true. He still knew, in reality, just how much of a failure he was. And now, on top of that, he was a liar to Obito as well. He hated himself.

He had never felt so broken.

Obito gently picked him up, carrying his weight to the bed, constantly murmuring gentle, comforting words as he went. Kakashi allowed himself to be carried, unable to find the energy to fight or move autonomously.

Obito wrapped him up in soft, warm blankets before sliding into bed beside him, stroking his hair as he pulled him into a gentle, chaste hug. Kakashi allowed himself to be cradled, pressing into Obito's warmth as he squeezed his eyes shut.

He felt as though he had just come back from an S-rank mission, what with the ache in his muscles and the fatigue numbing the edges of his mind. He just wanted to sleep, to escape from this miserable feeling of impotence and failure.

"Oh, Kakashi," whispered Obito, sadness and pain weighing heavy in his voice. "What are we going to do about you?"

“I’m sorry.” Kakashi snivelled, head bowed in shame. “I’m sorry you have to see me like this.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for.” Obito shushed him, watching him carefully as he stroked Kakashi's back soothingly. “You give so much of yourself to other people. The world has taken so much from you, and yet you still keep trying your best to make it a better place for everyone. You’ve been so strong when even I decided to give up on this world. I don’t think you give yourself enough credits.”

“What does it matter when I always seem to fail every time I try?”

Obito's eyes softened as he cupped Kakashi’s face and placed a chaste kiss to his lips. “I wish you could see yourself the way I see you.”

Kakashi pulled away, staring miserably at the way Obito was gazing so steadily at him. "No," he choked out, a flat-out denial that caused Obito's expression to crumple into one of sadness.

He did not want to think about the way Obito thought of him. No doubt he saw a pathetic excuse of a man: someone who failed to save everyone he loved over and over again. Obito had given his life to save him, and yet he couldn’t even fulfil the one last wish he had asked of him. He’d failed to protect Rin, to protect his father, and to protect his genin team. He’d failed far too many people. He didn’t even deserve the title as Hokage. There were a lot of people who would’ve been more suitable for the job. He still had no idea why Tsunade had declared him her successor when he had barely done anything to help during the war. And now he was failing to fulfil his duties as Hokage, too. He truly was a failure.

“You know Raikage doesn’t actually have anything against you personally, right?” Obito said as if he could see what was going through Kakashi’s mind. “He has a problem with _me_. He thinks you aren't cut for this position because _you let your personal feelings get in the way of your duties as Hokage_.” Obito scoffed. “What’s a Hokage supposed to be like, then? A heartless leader?”

“He’s wrong about you,” Kakashi croaked. “You helped end the war and save everyone when I couldn’t. But he’s also right, I’m probably going to make a lot of mistakes as Hokage because I’m not strong enough—“

“Kakashi, who do you think I did all that for?” Obito cut him off. “I did it for _you_. You think I actually give a damn about the shinobi world and humanity anymore? I don’t, Kakashi. I’ve failed with the Eye of the Moon Plan, and I could’ve just let everyone die and die with them. But I didn’t, because I knew it wasn’t what you would’ve wanted.”

“But—“

“I did it because I knew this was the world you desired.” Obito didn’t let him continue. “If I couldn’t give everyone a world of eternal peace and happiness, I thought at least I would give _you_ the happiness you deserved. I came back for you, Kakashi. I don’t need Raikage’s forgiveness, or anyone else’s for that matter. I couldn’t care less about the village and everyone in it. I stayed because I knew you wanted me to stay. You mean the world to me and it hurts to see you think so little of yourself.”

Obito's hands fell from Kakashi's face to rest on his shoulders. He sounded so tired that Kakashi immediately had a mini-freak-out over the fact that he was causing Obito such fatigue. He should have kept his stupid mouth shut. He was not worth Obito getting stressed and tired over. The older male had gone through enough himself.

Obito pushed him slowly backwards so that he was lying on his back, placing a kiss on his forehead as he smoothed back Kakashi's hair with one hand. “I really didn’t mean anything I said during the war, Kakashi. You were one of the reasons why I wanted to create that perfect world. I wanted you to be happy. If there’s something I regret in my life, it’s the fact that I let you get hurt, that I let _myself_ hurt you for so long when I knew you didn’t deserve it.”

“I’m sorry, Obito.” He sniffed.

“You have nothing to be sorry for, and I’ll say it over and over again if I have to.”

Kakashi bit his lip, swallowing down the words that were threatening to burst out of him.

“The two of you were used by Madara.” Obito added, as if he knew what Kakashi wanted to say. “Madara staged everything to get me to join him. We were all victims, Kakashi. You did your best to protect her. You got her out. You didn’t fail me, you didn’t fail her, and you certainly didn’t fail your father. None of it was your fault. We all made mistakes, but there's no need for you to feel responsible for things that are not, should not and cannot be under your control.”

Kakashi opened his mouth to argue but before he could speak, Obito had leaned down and captured Kakashi's lips in a kiss. Kakashi tasted salt as two fat tears slid down his cheeks and ran down to where their lips were joined. He pushed Obito away and ducked his head, ashamed by how he must look, but Obito cupped his face and made him meet his eyes.

“I know you’re probably not used to hearing this, but it’s okay to cry, Kakashi,” Obito said, kissing the tears that were by now streaming down Kakashi's cheeks. “You’ve been strong for so long, it’s okay to let yourself feel now, because you have me. I couldn’t be there when you needed me then, but I’m here now. And I promise I’m here to stay.”

Kakashi choked back as sob. He felt so incredibly raw and exposed.

Obito only pulled him back into his embrace, cradling him close as he murmured words of comfort in Kakashi's hair. Without meaning to, Kakashi pressed himself closer to Obito, wanting his body heat as much as he wanted comfort. It made Kakashi feel safe, to feel Obito physically there again. He squeezed his eyes shut, gasping and shuddering in Obito's arms as sobs made his entire body convulse and spasm. He could feel Obito's hand petting him gently, stroking and rubbing at his bare skin as Kakashi clung to him.

He was not sure quite how long they stayed in that position, but by the time Kakashi's sobs finally quietened and he became aware of his surroundings once more, the sky outside had darkened to an inky black.

He blinked open his eyes, taking in the dark eyes that were staring back at him. Obito smiled softly, reaching for a tissue from the bedside table and wiping Kakashi's face clean of tears and snot.

“Feeling so much better now, aren’t you?”

Kakashi felt his cheeks heat up. He couldn’t believe he’d just done that. He must’ve looked like a child who needed to be looked after to Obito. The only thing that was worse than this, though, was the fact that Kakashi was actually, kind of, secretly enjoying it. He had to admit that his chest felt a bit lighter now. He should’ve felt ashamed at how easily he’d fallen apart just now, but Obito had always been the one he would go to whenever he needed comfort or simply someone to talk to. He’d always made him feel safe even back then when his presence had merely been the name carved on the memorial stone.

“I remember when we were younger, you always told me that a shinobi should never show their emotions, but that’s not true, Kakashi. It’s okay to cry sometimes. You have this habit of bottling things up, it’s not healthy. Those were the tears you’d been holding in for twenty seven years, weren’t they?”

Kakashi let out a watery laugh. “Are you going to call me a crybaby now?”

Obito's eyes were twinkling, before melting into something much softer as he pulled Kakashi into another kiss. Kakashi returned the kiss with equal passion, familiarizing himself once more with the feel of his lips, the warmth of his breath, the taste of his tongue. Obito's hand reached down and tenderly grasped his own, a beautiful contrast to their passionate kisses.

“I love you, Kakashi. I really wish you could see yourself for who you truly are,” Obito breathed against his lips. “If you stripped away everything apart from your very core, what lies in the middle is someone amazing. You're a beautiful person, inside and out, and every time I look at you, I fall in love with you all over again.”

Kakashi exhaled a shaky breath, wanting to refute but couldn’t bring himself to as he stared at the sincerity in Obito’s eyes. He still thought he wasn’t good enough, both for the Hokage position and for being on the receiving end of Obito’s affection. But there was a part of him that couldn’t help but feel grateful to whoever up there for bringing Obito back to him and giving him a second chance. He truly would’ve fallen apart without anyone to put the pieces back together if it hadn’t been for Obito’s presence.

“Let’s give it a few more years,” Obito suddenly said, and Kakashi sent him a look of question. Obito smiled as he continued, “The Hokage hat, pass it over to Naruto when he’s finally ready, and then we can go explore the world together. I can take you to as many places as you want.” Obito’s expression was warm and utterly love-struck as he reached up with one hand to brush a lock of hair out of Kakashi's eyes. “I want to listen to your stories for the rest of my life to make up for all the years we spent apart."

Kakashi stared up at him, stunned into silence by the loaded meaning of his words

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you, making you happy, making memories together.” He brought Kakashi’s hand to his lips to press kisses against his fingertips. “I want to travel with you, enjoy the world the way we couldn’t when we were younger and grow old with you. I want to give you everything you want, everything you deserve. I want to make you feel loved and cherished and cared for. Will you let me, Kakashi?”

Kakashi wanted to reply; he wanted to say _I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you, too_ , but his throat was swollen with sudden emotion, rendering him unable to speak. His heart hammered madly inside his chest as tears of happiness slipped down his cheeks.

Obito smiled and kissed him on the nose before pulling him into his chest. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

Kakashi closed his eyes and listened to Obito's heartbeat, breathing in the beautiful scent of home. His lips curved into a watery smile. Obito came back to him and wanted to spend the rest of his life with him. Despite the feeling of insecurity still weighing in his chest, Kakashi had never felt happier in his entire life.


End file.
